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750 ml bottle corked & caged with a nice label that features the Belgian flag. It pours a slightly hazy, dark russet brown body beneath a fair-sized off-white head that's lightly creamy. The head retention could be slightly better, but this is also not quite as carbonated as many examples and that's a trade-off in that it's quite smooth and creamy in the mouth. The body is medium with a very fine-bubbled carbonation that gives it a lightly tingly, creamy mouthfeel. And although it doesn't hold real well, it does leave a good collar and some light lace.

The aroma offers dark fruit (lots of plum and raisin), caramel malt, brown sugar, and a distinct spiciness (could this be Chimay yeast?). The flavor follows suit with some additional candyish sugariness and more spice. The fruity and spicy aftertaste is quite nice, and beckons you to take another sip as it softens to reveal a lingering, sweet maltiness. And although the alcohol does make it's presence known in the finish, it's otherwise very well balanced and nicely cloaked.

As far as the Dubbel style goes, this beer was incredibly easy drinking.

It first arrived in a 12oz. short-stemmed goblet which bewares the drinker of a higher alcohol content. It appeared to be a ruby-walnut color with a half inch light white head. The smell was sweet and satifactory but not overwelmingly suductive. As the first taste reached my tongue I was impressed by it's smooth sweetness followed by its sharp bite. It felt slightly port like to me, a little syrupy, in a good way. This Dubbel easily went down to quickly when it was originally acquired to be pondered.

A: Poured a nice blend of rich mahagony and candy-apple red with a good clarity and thin whispy topping that was light beige in color that unfortunately was not as sturdy as advertised. Visible carbonation was extremely soft with a very sparse density of lonely micro carbonation bubbles that lazily made their way to the surface in no hurry. The coloring was really nice but a much sturdier head would of added to the visual appeal here.

S: The nose was fruity of fresh grapes and freshly coated caramel apples but was sorely missing that complimentary maltiness that really defines the style. Maybe if the beer was left unfiltered it would of left some more residual malt character, with only a faint presence of semi-dry caramel barely making its presence known. The nose was defined mostly by the fruitiness and alcohol spiciness but wished it had more malt presence.

T: The flavor was more promising then the nose offering a smooth but noticeable malt character along with a sweet twang of alcohol and fruity notes of apple peels, pears, and warm ripe fruit. There was a bit of a light coffee/black malt lacing that was present upon the swallow as well. The alcohol was sweet with Belgian candy notes while still providing a decent level of warmth. Overall the flavor was smooth while offering a fair of complexity filled with fruitiness, spiciness, and alcohol warmth, though only wished the malting was more promising.

M: The mouthful did provide a good tingle and creaminess swelling up in the mouth. Medium bodied, with a slight oily texture the beer flowed beautifully off the tongue upon the swallow. Again a smooth experience but was looking for that mouth coating maltiness signature.

D: Drinkability was good. Spicy, with a bit of alcohol it was easy enough to handle packing its fair share of warmth. Enjoyable, smooth and a easy re-order.

M: The mouthfeel is robust, warming without betraying too much booze. The flavor profile, mostly yeast driven, is nice.

D: The dubbel provided a nice counterpoint to the Old Tom, sweet and fulling with a nice integration of flavors.

***

A 10 oz glass served at the newest Iron Hill location in Lancaster, PA, 30-Nov-07.

A: The dubbel is brown and dirty, looking like apple cider with a great deal of sediment suspended throughout. There wasn't much head atop this beauty.

S: The nose is caramel malty with candi sugar and raisins adding a sweet darker note.

T: Candi sugars abound in the ale, creating a sweeter body that stands up against the formidable malt presence. Dark fruits emerge from the ale, with raisins and apricots leading the way. The alcohol is well hidden and can catch you off guard. The sweetness of the candi sugar, somewhat lacking when cold, really shines as the ale warms.

A - An orangish resiny amber color with honey highlights... A small whimsical off white head quickly fades leaving a very faint lacing with a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass... Just the slight amount of moderate paced carbonation can be seen rising throughout... Leaves a slight syrupy film on the glass as the session proceeds...

M - Medium bodied... A tinge of prickly carbonation... Ever so slightly sticky... A tad on the dry side...

D - A solid offering from Iron Hill... It's nice to see brew pubs that pay ample attention to the Belgian styles... Not bad, but far from best in class... This was enjoyable, but far from memorable... If at Iron Hill again, I wouldn't mine quaffing one back, but not before trying some of the other beers on the menu...

Appears a mahogany color with a small off white head and scattered lacing.
Smell is of raisins, prunes, and bready yeast.
Taste is of the same sweet aromas with a pleasantness that seems to be a nice take on a Belgian Dubbel.
Mouthfeel is dry with some sweet caramel upfront with the nice yeast.

I was drinking this as more of a calibration beer than anything else. Their brewer, Paul Rutherford, has made a seasonal that he is calling "Abbey's Fault" - an homage to one of their waitstaff, which is the recipe for this beer, plus an addition of hops. Think of Urthel Hop-It as a reference. I wanted to drink a glass of this beer before reviewing its offshoot.

It arrived with a finger's worth of deep-tan head. The color was a hazy medium-amber. The nose was just like a banana split - very estrous! The mouthfeel was medium with a very sweet banana-like flavor on the tongue. The finish was equally sweet and very banana candy-like. It probably would not be my bag on a regular basis, but I am anxious to try it with the addition of a load of hops.